"By establishing a minimum national standard for general practice we are seeking to guide practices in a positive direction by identifying what they should be doing to enhance the safety of their patients and practice team." -- Tim Malloy, College President

What is the Foundation Standard?

The Foundation Standard represents what is considered to be the legal, professional, and regulatory requirements for general practice. Foundation Standard is included as the entry level criterion for general practices in the Ministry of Health’s Integrated Performance Incentive Framework (IPIF) and in the PHO Services Agreement. This requires PHOs to ensure that all of their Contracted Providers (practices) meet the Foundation Standard by no later than 1 July 2017.

A collaboration between the College’s membership, PHOs and international colleges; the Foundation Standard was developed in 2013 as the entry-level standard for general practices. The programme requires the practice to provide evidence of meeting standards set by the College, followed by a reassessment cycle every three years.

The College collaborates with PHOs to oversee the assessment process. The College provides the Standard, QA2QI, moderates, audits and ultimately awards the certificate to the practice. The PHO affiliated with the practice handles enrolment, support and assessment of evidence submitted.